


Camisado

by youraffyouruz



Category: Original Work
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Child Abuse, Depressing, Depression, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, References to Depression, Suicidal OC, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, depressed girl, luv yous, suicidal girl, yea dont read this if youre easily triggered
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-01 09:30:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13291998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youraffyouruz/pseuds/youraffyouruz
Summary: Jade Johansen wasn't what you'd necessarily call average, most people didn't even know of her existence most of the time, as she never spoke, always hidden behind a Harry Potter book or her sleeves. She was one constantly under the cruel, judgmental eye of those around her, along with a kick or a punch. Not experiencing the childhood of most, she underwent one of abuse and hate from those around her, except for her only scapegoat, her twin brother, Mason, who was soon to have his life taken away under the foot of abuse. Now numb, her mind is blank from all the pain around her and only has one wish, the sweet release of death.Her wish soon comes true, until a loyal audience member takes it away from her, doing everything in his power to prevent her from making a life-ending decision.





	1. Chapter 1

Jade's POV:

When people usually think of me, they think of the short, freak kid who never talks. Which, of course, is true. I tried to avoid people as much as possible to avoid any conflict, and hid behind a book. Mostly behind a Harry Potter book; my favourite series. With the way I had been... brought up, I needed an scapegoat, and once I had learned to read, the first "big book" I had picked up was the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It felt nice... feeling like I was in a different world than my own... despite how dark and sad the series could get... I remember feeling particularly more dreadful when I turned eleven and didn't receive my Hogwarts (well... Ilvermorny, actually) letter.

I smiled to myself, caught up in Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix when they had driven out Dolores Umbridge, until I was snapped out of my own world when my book was ripped out of my hands. I jumped and looked down, starting to shake as I already knew who it was.

"Well well well," Hunter, an old "friend" of mine drawled on, "what do we have here?" I looked down even more, anxiously playing with my sleeves and scratching my hands every now and then. He grabbed the back of my oversized black hoodie roughly and yanked me up from my seat, "Look at me when I'm talking to you, bitch!" he spat. I began to shake even more as my breath started to quicken, my heart rate starting to go out of wack. 

"Hunter. Let's go." a voice drawled, completely emotionless. I was roughly shoved back into my seat where I spent the next couple of minutes trying to calm my bursting nerves as Hunter and his "crew" walked away with the owner of said emotionless voice. Daniel was a very withdrawn person, especially compared to the people he hung out with. He was sort of your stereotypical rich, bad boy that seemed to act as if he was too good for everybody around him. Even though he was sort of a useless ass most of the time; since he usually just stands and watches as Hunter and his much larger "Crabbe and Goyle squad" beats me up, he usually interrupts them for something else when it gets too bad.

Sometimes.

I doubt he did it out of pity. Pity from a person like him would rarely go to anyone, let alone me...

I've learned at this point in my life that I'm practically... useless. There's too much evidence both outside and inside of my body for attempts of suicide, and as much as I try not to, I always fail.

Obviously.

It doesn't matter what "friends" I could make, what grades I get, who I'm nice to and who I'm not, because life for me will never get any better than this. My father will most likely kill me once I graduate. Either he will, or I will. Even if I got a scholarship, I wouldn't be able to leave the house, or even support myself. I guess getting used to this fact is what contributes to me always feeling so numb on the inside; not being able to feel the punches or people throw at me anymore. I just get panic attacks when people approach me in general, another reason as to why I'll always be alone.

But I wasn't always like this. I had somebody. Someone who promised to never leave me, and told me that whatever I decide to do, we do it together. My twin. But that was before he died. That was two years ago. If I wasn't numb enough before, then that really set things to Hell for me.

It's one thing to have a family member, or any close love one die, but to watch your only loved one get the life sucked out of him as your father stabs him while you pathetically stumble your way towards them, only for your so-called efforts to be useless.

Sleep has become almost impossible for me since, as every time I close my eyes, all I can see is Mason's dead and empty eyes. My brother. My twin. Mason.

The bell had rung, signalling the start of only part 1 of Hell today as Ms. Linns  — who I secretly called Professor Binns  — our boring ass agricultural teacher walked in. Don't ask why our school made us take an agricultural class to graduate. She grabbed her roll call and silently looked through the rows of still rowdy students as I silently sat in the back, my head buried in my arms as a random wave of grief came over me. One of the many things that sucked about having nothing to really distract your brain was giving it multiple opportunities to let all your demons rush in your mind, and scream at you, taunting and mocking you while all you could do was stare blankly at your desk.

I jumped as a paper was carelessly placed on my desk by the person in front of me, I looked at the top to see that it was notes for Chapter 12, sections 4-16, *Due by the end of class* written on the top. I inwardly sighed, and looked to the clock to see that we had an hour left. It may not be that much of an issue for me, since I don't have any friends to distract myself with, but the people around me thought otherwise as a choir of groans rang across the room.

"Now, now," Ms. Linns said in monotone, "you won't get any work done if you don't stop whining." She was right about that, but it'd be a lot easier to want to obey if she wasn't so goddamn boring.

I grabbed an old, wooden pencil from the pocket of my hoodie and pulled out a large American History textbook from the bottom of my chair, which was too heavy for my frail arms. 

The rest of class went on with Hunter chucking paper balls and notes at me while I worked. After the first note I read, I couldn't bare to see what they had written on the other ones. 

A loud, obnoxious buzzing sound rang throughout the school, excusing us from our first block to our second one. I placed the few, raggedy materials I had into an old, one-shoulder backpack I had found in a dumpster last year and silently exited, keeping my sight trained on the ground with an emotionless expression as the demons began to flood back into my head once more.

Once again, I was snapped out of it I was roughly shoved against a locker. A bruise that was already there on my shoulder only began to throb in pain even more at the contact, making me grit my teeth.

"Hunter, baby, don't touch that trash," a very high-pitched and fake voice sounded, the owner of said voice clutched onto Hunters arm and pressed her fake tits against them, making the bastard smirk, "you don't know what diseases that freak has." she spat, glaring at me through her long, fake eyelashes.

"It's ok, babe," he then flexed his biceps, which were probably the width of my torso, and smirked mischievously, "if I don't teach this little fuck where they belong, then nobody will."

"Oh, babe, you're so strong!" Kayla, the fake girl, groaned quite sexually, pressing herself against him even more as a way of seduction. Gross. My face stayed emotionless, while my brain inwardly cringed at her way of "mating". Her comment only boosted his ego as he sauntered towards me, Kayla letting go in the process, before punching me hard across the jaw, sending me to the ground. He lifted his foot and slammed it hard against my bony rib cage, causing me to spit out blood, but refusing to make a sound of pain. He then stomped on my head, sending an unbearable pain throughout my whole head from where his foot came in contact with my head, and my head come in contact with the floor, causing a small gash to open. Grabbing me by my hair, he lifted me up and repeatedly slammed my face into the lockers, my face now covered in more bruises and blood that ran from new wounds, mouth, and nose. Throwing me back to the floor, he went back to repeatedly kicking me in the stomach while Kayla laughed manically. I began to choke on my own blood, the blood that was continuously sent up my throat into my mouth and that clogged my nose. A crowd of people simply stood around us in a circle, watching in excitement, amusement, or pity. Yet nobody did anything.

"Teacher!" a kid from the back yelled, causing the crowd to disperse, some walking, or even running, on top of my limp body. I tried to get up with wobbly arms and legs, myself trying to avoid the teacher, and limped my way to the bathroom. I could barely see where I was going, one of my eyes was already swollen shut before school, now the other was nearly there. The blood that covered on my face didn't help. I simply grabbed a wet paper towel and dabbed away the blood, not even wincing at the pain until I was finished, where I stood in front of the mirror, looking in. Back stared at me was an abomination. A monster covered in wounds of hate and despair. A monster that deserved to die with her beloved brother who never deserved what he got.

I continued to stare, even after the bell rang, until I slowly made my way to the roof of the school, not bothering to go to class. I sat on the edge, my legs dangling limply over as I stared down at the descent. If I jumped now, I would surely die. But I didn't want to kill myself in a public place, let alone my school. I'd rather die out of the public eye, where people wouldn't have to worry about dealing with my corpse, so that I can disappear as if I was never there, like I wasn't the girl who killed herself, and just decay out of everyone's way.

I can't say I have a last wish, because my one and only wish would be to die. Nothing could ever change what I am, what a mistake I am, and always will be.

And nothing will change the one choice I have.Nobody will change the one choice I have.

And nobody will want to.

 

A/N: next chapters will be longer, I promise. Note that this story will have a lot of gorey descriptions, suicidal thoughts and actions, mentions and descriptions of abuse, bullying, and depression. Not in any way am I trying to romanticize this, or say that once she finds true love all her issues will go away, because it won't. Nobody in these situations will ever leave this past behind, but that doesn't mean they wont get any better. If you're experiencing any of this, know that you can talk to me. Either through here, or through my main Tumblr or aesthetics Tumblr, which does have some mentions of this and how you can get through it. Just know you're never alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Warning: possibly triggering actions; suicidal actions. Please don’t read if you can’t handle it.

Daniel's POV:

At the end of second block, lunch for seniors had started, but my lack of an appetite had sent me to the roof to light a cigarette. Like any other school, smoking on the premises was against the rules, but no teachers ever went on top of the roof; making it my safe haven. Sticking the stick in my mouth once I made it to the top of the stairs, I opened the door only to be stopped in my tracks, the door slamming shut behind me. despite the loud noise, the person that had caught my attention  — who was currently sitting at the edge of the building  — remained sitting still, making me even more curious. 

"Hey, what are you doing here?" my voice was deliberately intimidating so I could get this persons attention and scare them away, only for them to remain sitting. My eyebrows furrowed as I made my way closer, making my steps loud and known: they still ignored me. I took in the back of their appearance, and I immediately knew who it was. I didn't actually know her name; nobody does, she never talks, but it was obvious that it's that girl Hunter bullies.

Despite her small frame, she was wearing a large, dirty, old, and in one place ripped, black hoodie that was draped over her head. She was hunched over, and actually didn't seem to be breathing. Wanting to make sure she wasn't dying, I sat a fair distance beside her, but gave myself the opportunity to see what was under her hood. Her dirty, uneven brown hair covered her face, only exposing her bruised and bust-open lip, along with a bruised and slightly bloody chin. She still looked out of it, making me furrow my eyebrows in concern. I saw what Hunter did in the hallway, and I tipped off some kid that there was a teacher coming to get them off of her, but considering the injuries she already took in, I wouldn't be surprised if she suffered a concussion.

Right as I began to move her hair from her face in an attempt to see the other wounds and bruises, she jumped back and looked at me with one, swollen eye, that carried only one emotion in them: fear. She quickly sprang up and limped her way back into the school and off the roof, leaving me to sit there in shock. Her right eye was completely swollen shut, her lip was busted open, and a large bruise covered the right side of her face, along with many others that decorated the rest of her face, both old and new.

I gulped, not being able to shake off the wave of nostalgia as her face kept popping in my mind.

*Flashback*:

I held my younger brother in my arms as he sobbed, the loud sounds of my dad screaming and hitting our mother ringing throughout the house.

It was always like this. Our father hated our mother, and simply used her for his pleasures and to take out his anger. Because of this, her mental stability wasn't necessarily... there... I don't remember the last time she spoke to us. The only emotion she shows to us is fear, whether we're alone with her in a room, or when she's trying to hide us from our father's abuse.

I was ten the night it happened, my younger brother only six, when my mother committed suicide. After about two hours of my father abusing her, he left to take care of his own business, leaving us alone in the house.

"Stay here, I'll check on mom." I told him, smiling as warmly as I could to make him feel a little bit better, while I myself felt uneasy.

I walked down the stairs, only to be met with a small puddle of blood. Consequence to my father beating my mother. I looked around the kitchen first, then the living room, then began to make my way to the closet where she was usually forced to sleep. Braeden, my little brother, and I tried getting her to sleep with us in our room so she wouldn't have to sleep on the dirty, cold floor, only to get in trouble with our father, and get a good whack across the face.

Realizing that the bathroom light was on, I knocked lightly on the door, "M-mom?" I got no response, causing me to knock again, only for me to be met with silence once more. I sighed shakily before hesitantly opening the door, my hand soon dropping to my side as my jaw dropped. I was met this time with a much larger pool of blood, my mother laying in the middle with an uncountable amount of cuts on her arm, razor in hand.

My breath shook and became uneven as I backed up, unable to process what I was seeing.

"M-Mom?"

No response.

"Mom!"

I lost it there, I don't remember much after that, only waking up in the hospital, my little brother there to keep my company to tell me that I had hit my head and blacked out.

And that my mother was dead.

From there I had become cold to those around me, except for my brother, as I had grown especially protective over him. A new born and powerful hate grew against my father from there. Not only had he mistreated my mother so badly, but he had sent her to suicide, and my brother and I were now without a mother.

*End of Flashback*

I opened my eyes, looking down at my lap blankly before glaring at the memory. I closed my eyes in pain, unable to take in the painful memory again as both that and that girls beaten up face flashed in my mind. She reminded me too much of my mother for me to let it go. I didn't want to be partially responsible for another suicide, or possibly, a murder. But I just didn't know how to go about it.

Sighing, I picked up my bag and decided to just make my way back to class, as the bell was about to ring, making it pointless for me to stay here any longer.

 

Jade's POV:

I don't know how long I sat there, it wasn't until Daniel touched me that I realized where I was and what was happening. I know he saw my face. There's no way he didn't. And that's what scares me the most. He's friends with Hunter, they can only use my wounds as a weakness.

Making my way to the front entrance, I left without telling anyone, beginning the hour walk back home, and staring numbly down at my feet. Despite the fact that school had barely started, I felt drained, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Don't think this walk will help that either. But anywhere is better than school. Anywhere away from people, where I can just remain to myself and not worry about oppression from those around me; not worry about getting the life beaten out of me.

The walk was, shockingly (note sarcasm), quiet. Boring. And by the time I reached the driveway to my isolated home, I was more exhausted than before.

My father wasn't home, making a small part of me jump in excitement at the thought of being alone at home. I walked to the side of the house and prepared to climb an unnecessarily large tree to a window I left open this morning. My dad enjoys to lock the door when he leaves, and doesn't return hours after I do, leaving me outside in the cold, burning sun, or the pouring rain for hours on end. That is, unless I leave a window open. 

My arms wobbled as I heaved myself onto the first branch, already starting to feel lightheaded, I tried to speed up the process a bit. By the time I had entered the dark house, I was breathing heavily, and everything around me was a blur. I stumbled my way over to my closet and opened the door, meeting the blood and dirt stained walls and floor, but treating it as I usually did: like it was absolutely normal. Closing the door, I slid down the wall, trying to calm down my racing heart as I squeezed my eyes shut. Tears began to build up and my lip began to tremble, unable to dam up my pent up feelings anymore. I usually tried my best not to cry, as it only ends up draining me to the depths of a black hole, but I could only hold them back so much.

Small chokes soon turned into quiet cries, which increases in volume, soon turning to loud and uncontrollable cries; sobs into screams. Clutching my hair, I pulled, continuing to scream as loud as I could; tears streaming down my cheeks. My peripheral vision was still blurry, the tears masking my eyes not helping the situation as my screams began to die down as my throat burned and ached. Despite the protests my throat made, I continued to sob, releasing all the pent up emotions that had built up over whatever many weeks it had been since I last .... screamed?

After how many minutes of sobbing to myself; isolated in my closet, I drifted off, the unbearable feeling of numbness taking over my body and mind. I chronically hiccuped to myself, staring off to the wall in front of me and ignoring the blasting pain in my head and stomach. A bead of blood ran from my nose into my parted mouth, the metallic taste entering my senses as I continued to delve into the feeling of numbness. My hand self-consciously went for the small pocket in the front of my worn-out backpack, pulling out my bloody razor. without changing my field of vision, I lifted up my left sleeve and slammed my razor lazily on my wrist; very zombie-like but harsh, and already forming a small cut. I drew one deep and hard cut on my wrist, lazily rolling my eyes down to see the blood rise to the surface. Once the blood started to run, I continued, making cut after cut in a way to try to get rid of the numbing feeling: to see if I was still alive.

I didn't feel it.

My hiccups continued as my cuts began to get more desperate, deeper and quicker, quickly covering the underside of my forearm in thick-red liquid that dripped off my arm onto the already blood-stained floor.

Hands shaking, I dropped the razor, my head and heartbeat pounding in my ears, vision blurring, the feeling of physical and mental emptiness as the sound of a door being slammed open. My eyes fluttered close as I made one last mad and insane smile before fading off.

 

* 

 

Opening my eyes, I was met with the sight of a hue of dark, navy, and light blues with black room. Or was it? It seemed more like a... galaxy?

I raised my hands up to my vision, seeing perfectly manicured fingers, and a healthy, creamy-pinkish skintone. Continuing to look around me, I saw that right above me seemed to be an ocean; glistening in the light of the stars. It then seemed to rain upwards, forming a bubble on top of my head. Confusion filled my senses as I looked at it, slowly approaching it without knowing. As I got closer, I realized there was someone in it; a boy, or more specifically, a man. His grey hair floated around him and his eyes were closed, hiding his eyes from my sight. He had a sharp jaw, and the rest of his body build screamed built and muscular, which only seemed to intimidate me.

Once I was right below the bubble, his eyes opened, revealing dark grey eyes that seemed to look straight into me. I gasped, retracting a bit in fear when I realized who it was, Daniel. Soon growing confused once he reached his hand out to me, his eyes full of desperation and sadness, I stared at it for a few seconds, trying to ignore quiet and desperate voice in my hand telling me to grab it. His hand outstretched even more, now coming out of the bubble to reveal a perfectly dried hand. I hesitantly grabbed it, an electric feeling buzzing straight down my hand, revealing all of the cuts and scars on my wrist that glowed a violent whitish-yellow. I screamed as a painful shock ran throughout my body, waking up with a start.

I woke up, laying on the couch that wreaked with the smell of cigarettes and alcohol.

"J-Jade?" I turned to see my dad cowering in a corner, eyes dilated and red; he was high. He seemed scared as he looked at me.

"Wh-what w-were you d-doing? I c-could've lost you!" He yelled in desperation and anger, eyes brimming over with tears. I kind of hated when he got just high. It resulted in this; him showing his caring side. Of course, this happened every so often, he lied to mix his drugs with his alcohol which always resulted in an aggressive and abusive personality.

It wouldn't last long like this, though; his caring side. He would drive himself mad with "guilt" then turn to drinking, resulting in his once again abusive and true self.

"I could've lost you. I could've lost you. I could've lost you. I could've lost you." he repeated this to himself before he started slurring, stumbling as he stood up and made his way up the stairs and into what I'm guessing is his bedroom. Not a good thing, as he always keeps a wild stash of alcohol in there.

Deciding to leave now before he go too drunk, I finished getting up, seeing the sloppy bandages wrapped around my wrist. I took them off and made myself upstairs to get my bag, going back down and quietly leaving the house.

I once again started the hour long journey to school, a dead and unchanging expression on my face as I limped my way along.


	3. Chapter 3

TRIGGER WARNING: (There's going to be a lot of these, just saying) VIOLENCE, ABUSE, AND MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH.

Walking down the hallway was absolute hell. Hunter wouldn't shut up about some girl he fucked yesterday in the bathroom, closet, wherever it was, and I honestly couldn't give any shits.

But he couldn't get that through his thick ass skull so whatever.

The only time he was able to shut up was when a certain small girl turned the corner. A dark smirk formed on his mouth, making me feel nervous for the girl as she tried to pass us without getting noticed. Her attempts were futile, as Hunter grabbed her shoulder and shoved her up against the locker to emit a loud banging noise at the contact. She looked as if she tried to shrink away while Hunter approached her with his fists clenching.

Letting out a shaky breath, I wondered whether I should start my quote on quote "plan" now. The only reason I was friends with this asshole was because he bought a shit ton of drugs for himself and his parties from my me, technically my dad, and if he stopped buying from us for whatever reason my dad would lose his shit.

But it's better if he loses his shit than losing a life, right?

As I began to walk towards the two, Mrs.Smith, the English teacher, quickly pushed her way through the hallway and small crowd up to Hunter, who currently had his hands harshly pushing on the girls shoulders.

"Mr. Owlan, what on Earth are you doing?!" a dumbstruck and idiotic look crossed his face, looking almost comical as he gaped his mouth open and closed like a fish.

"U-uh, nothing-"

"I do hope so it's nothing, otherwise two weeks detention!"

"Two weeks detention?! You're crazy, bitch!" her nostrils flared, lips pursing while her eyes widened to give Hunter a terrifying look of anger, "Make that three weeks detention, Mr.Owlan! And if I ever catch you harassing this young lady, or anyone, ever again, expect quite the suspension!" She glared at him again, "I expect to see you after school for detention." she turned around sharply and angrily making her way back to where her class is, heels sounding loudly against the ground.

"Tch, bitch." I could hear Hunter scoff under his breath. Both him and I turned back to the lockers, jumping back in shock to see that the girl was nowhere to be seen. She was just there a second ago, where'd she go?

"Where the fuck did that bitch go?" I couldn't help but feel a small tinge of anger towards him. He had no right to call her a bitch.

"Don't know. Just get to class." I spun on my heels and began to make my way to my first block, leaving a confused and dumbstruck Hunter to stand alone in the dissipating hallway.

***

Jade's POV:

I sat in the back of the class, head buried in my arms as I tried my best to shrink away from the attention of others. I received some paper balls being thrown at me, one kid actually chucked an apple at my head; that hurt quite a bit. But I've learned quite a while ago to not read the paper balls thrown at me. Before, when I'd read even one, I'd spend about ten minutes reading it, unable to process the horrible things my peers could write before saving it to read later, only to throw myself into a deeper and drowning abyss of hopelessness and uselessness.

I had successfully escaped an angry Mrs.Smith and a peeved Hunter before either one could even try to interact with me, Lord knows that would have went down hill real quick.

Dreading the upcoming lesson to come, I simply drifted off to sleep, waking up every now and then due to a reoccurring dream; nightmare, actually.

I would be sitting in my small closet, a boy, about thirteen years old sitting in front of me. Like me, he was short, lanky, pale with dark chocolate brown hair, despite the fact that his hair was in ringlets.

That boy was my twin, Mason.

Was.

We'd both be sitting in the closet, legs pulled up to our chests with our lips pursed tightly shut to avoid a confrontation with our father. At this point, a terrible wave of fear and nausea came over me, as if something bad was about to happen.

His loud steps were heard as he made his way up the stairs. I squeezed my eyes shut to try and calm my rapidly beating heart and shaking hands.

All was quiet for a few seconds, and I opened my eyes to make eye contact with Mason, who had the same confused and fearful expression as I. The door slammed open, making the both of us jump and face an angry and drunk father. He emitted the scent of cigarettes, weed, and alcohol, along with a powerful sense of hate that sent a terrible shiver of fear down my spine. The bottle that was once in his hands was soon roughly thrown to the side, making a loud clash sound that only increased my fear and shaking. His hands swooped down on us, picking us by the scruff of our sweatshirts and dragging us out the hallway and down the stairs, our backs and bottoms hurting by the time he dropped us. We both huddled close to each other, trying to search for a sense of safety in each other as we tightly held each others hand. He turned around, taking note of our entwined fingers and glared, as if it was the most disgusting thing he's ever seen.

"You useless," he yanked us apart, "pathetic," kicked me to the side before turning back to Mason. "little pieces of shit!" He picked up Mason by the neck and slammed him against the wall, soon throwing a powerful punch to his face.

I scrambled to my feet, yanking on his arm to prevent him from hurting Mason even more, only for him to throw me off and climb on top of me, throwing punch after punch to my face.

"N-no!" Mason threw himself at our father, successfully getting him off of me and throwing some punches to his face before he was violently thrown off.

"You son of a bitch." he spat, glaring down at Mason who used his body to shelter mine.

"D-don't p-put your h-hands on h-her you c-cunt!" Mason yelled in response, he got up and charged at him, only to be unsuccessful in his attempts at hurting him. He was easily shoved off and pressed against the wall by the kitchen counter, multiple punches being thrown to his face before being thrown to the ground, kicks and stomps colliding against his sides and abdomen. As blood began to resurface and emerge from his mouth, I regained the energy to sit up, watching my twin spit up his own blood by the mouthful.

Our father turned back to me, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he picked up a knife from the counter, slowly making his way towards me as I shuffled backwards. I clumsily turned around and tried my best to get up, only to have my back violently stepped on and trapping me to the ground. Grabbing a fistful of my hair in an iron grip, he lifted my head and pressed the knife to my throat, a small bead of blood emerging from the small cut.

"Say goodbye to life, you pathetic bitch." I shut my eyes close, accepting my upcoming fate.

Everything that followed next was a blur. The next thing I remember was a painful sting on my throat, and the weight that was once on my back was gone. I slowly looked up to see a badly beaten Mason and my father wrestling over the knife, Mason obviously no match for my drunk and built father. He was soon pinned down by his throat, his face quickly turning a shade of reddish purple as my father lifted the knife above his head.

"N-no!" despite the pain in my body, I did my best to get up and make my way over to them before my father did what he was aiming for. "N-no! N-NO! DON'T!" 

I was a few feet away from them when it happened: the knife swiftly coming down to my brothers chest where his heart was, his blood spraying my face as I fell. My eyes could not leave his now lifeless body, blood oozing from the wound and onto the ground to form a pool of dark, red blood. Hair shadowed my eyes that continued to stay open. I ignored the feeling of my burning eyes as tears began to quickly flood down my cheeks. In a matter of ten minutes, I had lost the only one dear to me. And all I could do was pathetically limp over in an attempt to save his life. No longer will I see his encouraging or loving eyes. His smile that only I saw. Or his tears that we both shared together.

An ear-piercing scream was emitted from my mouth, bending over and clutching at my chest where most the pain was felt. It felt as though someone had ripped a piece of me away, leaving a large wound in my heart that could never be replace.

My father got up drunkenly, sluggishly making his way up the stairs and ignoring my pained screams as I now hugged my twins dead body.

I don't know how long I stayed up, screaming and crying myself to sleep with Mason's dead body held securely in my arms, all I know was that the next morning I was harshly woken up by my father who stood over me with a shovel, telling me to bury the body and keep my mouth shut about it to everyone.

For the next two hours, I buried a six foot deep hole while staring at my brothers dead body that lay ten feet in front of me, my father observing a few feet back while tears continuously streamed down my cheeks.

I dragged his body into the hole, my eyes now dry and a void of emptiness, before climbing out. I walked a few feet before I began to sway, everything around me becoming a blur before I collapsed against the ground.

"Miss! Miss!"

He was gone. And it was all my fault. I didn't do enough, and now I'll never see him ever again.

"Miss Johansen!"

Why couldn't I get up in time? Why am I like this?! 

"Miss Johansen the bell has rung!"

Why did he have to leave me?! I can't take it!

"Miss Johansen! MISS JOHANSEN!"

I can't take it! I can't TAKE IT!

"Miss Johansen!" I awoke with a start, sweat and tears wetting my face as I shook, everything around me a complete blur.

"M-Miss Johansen?!" My head pounded, and my vision began to black out before I collapsed and fell out of my seat, leaving an extremely concerned teacher to deal with my unconscious body.

Mason...


	4. Chapter 4

Black.

 

I liked the color, but at this moment in time there was way too much.

It was then I realized my eyes were closed. WOOPS-!

The light blared into my eyes, immediately making me shut them close pursing my lips in discomfort as I placed my hands over my burning eyes. Slowly opening them again, I took my time to adjust to the light, realizing I was in the nurses room. My heart began to beat fast, lifting up my sleeve to see that all my clothes were bandaged, and in one arm, an IV was injected. I immediately yanked it out, shakily standing up and walking towards the exit. I couldn't care less that I had absolutely no idea where my bag was, there was nothing useful in there anyways - oh my god my razor.

My gaze quickly moved across the room, desperately looking for the beat-up bag and spotting it in the corner by the nurses desk. I quickly made my way toward it, grabbing it and spinning around to make a run for it.

"Jade? Sweetie?" I froze in my spots hearing the voice of the nurse calling out to me and immediately began to shake in my spot. Taking a note of my shaking, she hesitantly took a step toward my back-turned self, not wanting to scare me, "Sweetie, you don't have to be scared. We're just trying to help you."

We? I slowly turned my head to look over my shoulder, spotting her short frame, along with a tall and built cop behind her. There was no doubt in my head that he was much bigger than me, and his stature alone reminded me of my father, scaring me even more. I turned to them fully, eyes wide with fear as a shaky breath escaped, a whimper following afterwards.

The nurse smiled, "There we go. This kind man here just wants to ask you a few questions, OK?" I froze. I could already tell where this would lead, and I sure as hell did not want to do that.

Shaking my head, I took a step back with my hands clutched and trembling in front of me.

"Jade-" I turned and ran, hearing her yell afterwards "No, don't chase her! That will scare her more!" confused, I turned my head seeing the cop sprinting after me, hand on his tazer with a determined look on his face. I let out a choked cry, pushing my aching and burning legs to move faster. He was quickly catching up with me, but I was way too determined myself to avoid getting caught by him, so I made a quick turn, deciding to take a complicated detour to the front doors. My immediate turn caught him off guard, so I was able to gain some more feet and make another weird turn, making him lose where I was. But I continued to run, not letting this short victory get to my head and kept on going with my complicated route until I made it outside, the cold January air hitting my face and burning my already tired lungs. My breath began to come out more like wheezes as my vision began to blur with my heart pounding in my ears. I almost got hit by a car as I tried to run home, only for it to stop a few feet away from my now tripped body. I shakily tried to get to my feet, only to be kicked down again, a large hand grabbing the scuff of my sweatshirt and lifting me like a misbehaved puppy. Even through my blurred vision, I could recognize my fathers unshaven and rugged face scowling at me, making me whimper and shrink back.

"You're late! Where were you?!" there was no trace of concern in his voice like you'd here from a normal parent, only a blazing anger that matched the emotion in his eyes. 

Pathetic tears began to stream down my cheeks, a hiccup escaping from my lips as I shook. He dropped his arm, making me roughly and painfully hit against the pavement of the seemingly abandoned road before dragging me back to the car and throwing me in the confines of the trunk. The restriction of air made my already worn out lungs work harder, desperately searching for oxygen.

We reached the home in about fifteen minutes, and as soon as we did, dad did not hesitate to drag me out of the trunk and painfully up the porch steps by my already withering hair.

Whimpers continuously escaped my lips as he didn't hesitate to drag me up the stairs to the outside of my small closet where he released his tight hold on my hair, making me whimper once more and immediately reach up to grab my throbbing head.

I choked as I felt a strong and painful hit against my stomach, eyes shooting open in pain while another kick followed to my head not long afterwards, successfully sending me into a dark abyss.

 

Daniel's POV:

 

The rest of the day was spent hearing the swarming rumors coming out of different kids mouths, not knowing how to process the information: "Did you hear? That mute weirdo passed out after class ended. But I heard from someone in her class that she actually died! The nurse isn't allowing anyone in there, maybe they're hiding her dead body there!" I heard that one particularly from a dumb-looking freshman, but the notion that she had passed out was always the base of every story.

I spent the whole day trying to get anything more useful out of anybody, I even tried to go to the nurse's room but the weird kid was right about that; a sign was taped to the door, reading "GO TO FRONT OFFICE" while the door stayed locked. After grumbling to myself, I left it as a dead end and decided to try again tomorrow when I'd hopefully see the girl or the nurse.

Other than that, it was pretty boring.

I had to stay afterwards at school to get information for an engineering program I was doing in the summer, so I hadn't left until an hour after school ended; I loved the class, but the teacher talked way too damn much for his own good. 

Stuffing the papers in my backpack as I walked my way out in the void hallways, I paused as the sound of someone yelling reached my ears, making me look around for the source. Not finding it, I continued on my way out with a cigarette between my lips and the lighter in my hand, ready to light the cancer stick.

Yeah, I knew smoking is bad for you, and by 2018 smoking is a really weird and dumb thing to do, but at least I'm not eating tide pods. Cigarettes are addictive; quitting is a lot more said than done.

I lounged by the side of the door to get myself together, letting the drugs relax my body as I sighed in content. Just as I was about to get up and leave the door slammed open, a similar person running (well, more like limping) her way off the campus and into the road where she had almost gotten hit.

"Shit," I got up and started to jog my way towards her, but once again froze in my spot as a rough looking man got out of the car and approached the small girl that now lay on the ground. I watched as he roughly grabbed her by the scruff of her sweatshirt and lifting her up as if she didn't weigh anything, screaming inaudible words at her before dropping the arm that held her and made her roughly hit the pavement.

"Hey!" I tried to get his attention as he began to drag her to the car, bow making my way toward them with more urgency as he followed with tossing her in the trunk of his beat-up car. My hands latched on it just as he began to drive away, making me run after it for a few seconds before giving up, pulling out my phone to take a picture of his licences plate.

"I'll get you, asshole." I sneered as I dialed 9-1-1.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> /!\ WARNING: VIOLENCE/ABUSE AND GORE don't say I didn't warn you 'cause I did

Jade could feel her increasing heart rate pounding in her chest as the minutes went by, and for the first time in a while, she cried. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as her breathing turned ragged, her tears and decreasing level of oxygen in the tiny space she was secluded to causing her lungs to burn. She closed her eyes, feeling the wetness between them as she quietly accepted her fate and awaiting the approaching moment when she would greet her mother and brother again.

The car stopped abruptly, and she could hear the sound of a car door slamming at the front. She shut her eyes again as the trunk opened, her father looming over her with an immense amount of anger radiating off of him. His large dirty hand advanced toward her, swooping onto her neck and latching on to pull her out. He threw her roughly on the ground, latching instead onto her hair and dragging her up the porch steps into the house. Her bottom ached by the time he let her go, and the small relief of pain quickly dissipated as he swung a harsh kick to her abdomen. She coughed, blood splattering from her mouth onto the floor as he growled.

"You're getting my floor dirty, you stupid child!" he continued to harshly kick her, stomping on her at some points until his legs tired out. Instead, he flipped her onto her back and climbed on top of her, swinging punch after punch to her swelling face as she laid limply.

"You filthy children ruined everything for me!" he wrapped his large hands around her throat, immediately starting to choke her, "You blame me for that whore's death when it was really yours! She'd still be here if she didn't have to have you wastes of space!" she could hear the small voice crack he made and wondered to herself if he ever loved her mother, he always talked foully about her and blamed Jade and her brother for him having to murder her.

Her mind began to blacken as oxygen to her brain depleted and spent the next couple of seconds trying to take in as much as she could. Right before she went out cold, she could feel the oxygen running back into her system as her father suddenly let go of her neck. He looked blankly down at her, scaring her in a way he never did before. He usually glared or spat at her: some sort of negative emotion, but now, all sense of emotion seemed to have left him, leaving behind a darker and more sinister man.

He stood up, walking towards the kitchen to leave Jade sprawled out and coughing on the floor, not having the energy or will to try and escape. The sound of his footsteps vibrated on the ground, slowly becoming louder and more intense as he drew closer to the small girl. A long, dirty knife glinted in the light that still shone through the cracks of the broken blinds, the light making up for the lack of it in the eyes of her father as he looked down at his daughter.

"The last one." she looked up at him weakly, spotting the knife in his hand as she took in raspy breaths. "The last of my family," he took a step closer, "and the last one to dispose of." He climbed on top of her with the agility of a leopard, holding the knife high in the air, glinting one last time before he swung down.

 

**

 

"9-1-1 What is your emergency?"

"H-hi, um, I-I'd like to report a k-kidnapping?"

The lady on the other side paused for a second, "A kidnapping?"

"Yes, right outside the high school. An older man forcedly took a student into the back of his trunk and drove off."

"Really?" she paused for a second before whispering, obviously not meaning for Daniel to hear, "Nothing this interesting happens here..."

Daniel rolled his eyes, running his fingers through his hands in distress. "Ma'am! Please! Can you help me out here?!"

"Oh! Yes, sorry. Do you know where they went?"

"U-uhm, no. But I have his license plate number."

"OK, that will do. We should have their location in about twenty minutes."

His eyes widened, "Twenty minutes?! You can't get it any faster than that?!"

"W-well, we haven't had a kidnapping here in almost fifty years, our system is quite old - "

"Whatever, just get it done!"

He could hear her take a deep breath, "Now, young man. You don't need to take that tone with me - "

"Somebody could be dying and you're worried about my tone?!"

She paused for a few, "What's the number?"

After a tense minute or so, the lady on the other line had finally got the number and gave him a bitter farewell before hanging up. Daniel paced the sidewalk, running his hands through his hands every now and then, getting an increasing feeling of unease as time passed.

"Fuck it." He climbed into his car, immediately starting it and driving off into the direction Jade had disappeared to, not paying any mind to the speed limit.

The road was quite empty, there weren't many houses or much of anything on this side, so spotting the car would be somewhat easier. Tracks onto a dirt road leading into the forest could be seen, and after a few seconds of contemplating, Daniel turned his car onto the road. The forest seemed like an ominous place: it was dark and quiet and was void of any source of happiness.

An old house peeked through the trees after a minute, the tracks going into what looked like a beaten up driveway and the car parked in the front. Daniel cringed, finding the house absolutely creepy and regretting going here by himself. He jumped as his phone rang, fumbling with it for a few seconds before picking up.

"Hello?"

"Yes, is this the young man I talked to earlier?"

"Yeah."

"OK, unfortunately, we cannot find an address to go with this car, would you like to file a - ?"

"I'm at the house right now."

"You're - what?"

"I'm at the house right now. Off of Weekes Road onto the dirt road at the only house."

"Off of Johnson?"

"No! Weekes road! The road from the school to the right!"

"That tone - "

"Justgethereyouuselesspiecesofshit!" He hung up, getting out the car and slamming the door angrily before stomping his way up the porch stairs. The door was already at an ajar, so he easily opened the door only to find the man on top of a semi-unconscious girl with a knife at the ready. 

"Shit - !" He leaped and pushed the man off before he could swing the knife down, wrestling to get into a powerful position to wrangle the knife out of his hands. The man smelled of alcohol and weed, making Daniel cringe from the strong stench, and his teeth that gritted at him were stained yellow and light grey behind a rugged beard. Daniels experience of playing football helped him overpower the surprisingly strong man, snatching the knife from his hand and throwing it across the room.

He did his best to keep the man pinned down until the cops came, but had his attempts futile as he was punched across the face, losing focus for a second only to have himself pinned on the ground and punched repeatedly. He raised his knee harshly against the man's groin, catching him off guard as he groaned in pain, allowing Daniel to flip them over and punch him a few times out of frustration before elbowing him painfully in the temple, successfully knocking himself unconscious. Daniel hastily stood up, kicking him and stomping him in the face a few times to make sure he was out before running over to Jade.

He lightly grabbed her face, covered in blood, and tried his best to make her look at him. 

"Hey, hey come on. Come on don't go out yet just wait for a few." he looked back to the man sprawled out on the floor before looking back to Jade, who was on the verge of consciousness. He carefully put his arm under her neck, the other under her legs and slowly stood up with her in his arms. He kicked the door open, hastily making his way to the car and getting in. He let her legs hang over the passenger side as he laid her on his lap, head still resting on his arm as he tried his best to turn on and drive the car with one hand.

He drove out of the forest and pulled to the side, opening the car door so they were out in the open for the cops to see. Looking down, he took in her state. At this point, she had already reached unconsciousness and wasn't showing any signs of returning soon.

"Shit." He could see that her nose and jaw were broken, blood dripping from her mouth and nose and a large and dark handprint adorning her neck.

The sound of sirens could be heard, Daniel looked up to see three cops cars and an ambulance approaching, waving his arm to catch their attention. They pulled over, and six well-built men in cop suits ran out towards them.

"Is this the student that was kidnapped."

"Yeah. The man that kidnapped her is in the house up there."

"Thank you, son." Two cops ran back to their cars, driving up the dirt road and leaving the four cops and the paramedics with Daniel and Jade.

He jumped as somebody put their hand on his shoulder.

"Sir, we're going to need you to let her go." A young woman looked at him, gesturing towards Jade and the gurney behind her.

"O-oh. R-right."

"You're nose looks broken. You want us to check that out for you?"

"No. Focus on her." the lady widened her eyes and pursed her lips at his firm tone, but nodded in understanding, taking Jade to the ambulance.

"Men, follow Kurt and Gibson to the house." they nodded, getting in their cars and driving off.

"Son, can you tell me the name of the girl?"

"U-uhm..." he didn't know her name, no one did, and for once he felt more shameful about the fact than usual. "I-I don't know..."

"That's fine. Do you know if this man had any connection with her?"

"No. I just saw him yell at her and throw her in his trunk. He-he may be her dad..."

He nodded, "Thank you, that will be enough for now." he pointed to Daniel's nose. "I'd get that checked if I were you. Go on and follow them to the hospital."

"Yes, sir."

Daniel climbed into his car and sighed, closing his eyes for a second before putting on his seatbelt and turning on the car.

 

The I.V. and your hospital bed. This was no accident. This was a therapeutic chain of events.


	6. Chapter 6

Daniel ran into the entrance of the hospital, making a straight beeline for the receptionists' desk.

"Hi, can you - "

"Oh my goodness, lad. Are you alright?" the elderly, presumably British woman asked, staring at his bloodied shirt with concern.

"Wh-" completely oblivious to the blood Jade left to stain his shirt, he looked down before shaking his head and looking back up. "It's not mine, I just need you to tell me where the owner is! She just came in from an ambulance, but they didn't let me back there."

"Oh. O-oh dear... Yes-yes do you know their name?"

"Jade... Jade- look I don't remember her last name."

"That's alright, I'll do what I can. Just go an' make your way to the waitin' room." clutching his fists in annoyance he gritted his teeth before complying. His annoyance only grew at the humidity and heat of the room, making him groan before taking off his jacket, leaving him in his white tee splattered with blood. Meanwhile, a twelve-year-old looking girl sat across the room looking at him with an agape mouth. Expecting neither the blood or the hot 17-year-old sitting in front of her with a form-fitting shirt. Only noticing this after a few seconds, Daniel looked at her with raised eyebrows before spitting out a harsh "what". The girl made a face before rolling her eyes and looking back down to her tablet, paying no attention to the red lipstick that was currently melting in her moms white Valentino bag right beside her.

***I wanna be a yo-yo man***

An hour had passed, and Daniel continued to sit in the same seat in front of the twelve-year-old girl with an eagerly bouncing leg and an impassive face. About fifteen minutes prior he was told they were busy trying to stabilize Jade, but were constantly failing as she would only go into another fit of... destabilization... a few minutes later.

"Excuse me, laddie." Daniel looked up, annoyed at how long this was taking, "They were finally able to stabilize her - " Daniel stood up hastily, only to be pushed back by the woman's hands "but she's in a coma."

...

"What the fuck - "

***what's up me and my bro are going to Uncle Cracker's***

A few months had passed, the school year would be ending in a few days and Jade hadn't even shown signs of waking up anytime soon. Daniel didn't know exactly how the doctors managed to induce her in a coma, he visited her often, and every time the doctors would tell him "Oh, yeah. She's fine, she'll wake up in a few days - don't worry!"

...

It has been five fucking months and jack shit has happened.

I mean, it's not ass-freezing cold anymore and instead, our innards are slowly being fried... And I guess we're one step closer to not being demolished by nuclear weapons so that's cool, I guess.

Going back to second-person, Daniel basically said "F school" and left halfway through the day, driving to the hospital with his angsty teen music blasting through his car windows. Making his way through the extensive amount of hallways, he turned down Jade's corridor, only to be met with multiple doctors and nurses urgently rushing into the girl's room.

"H-hey - Hey!" he grabbed onto a passing nurses arm, turning her around to face him. "What is going on?"

"I'm sorry unless you're family we can't tell you-"

"She doesn't have any family and I'm the one who brought her in here." he was starting to get annoyed with these doctors secrecy.

"O-oh. W-well." she looked around awkwardly, "She's gone into another unstable condition -"

"Another?"

"Yes, she usually goes into multiple every week. If she was healthy she would have been out of here by now, but due to her past living conditions she's very weak compared to the normal human being and has a very probable chance of not making it." Daniel stared at her with a blank expression, finally releasing her arm and staring at nothing in particular for the next few seconds.

"Shit."

**

Jade woke up with a gasp, looking around with some scared curiosity only to find herself in an empty black abyss. She surprisingly found it comforting, it was warm and oddly smelled of cinnamon rolls. She stood up, finding a foreign strength in her body and looked down to find her legs set with a healthy amount of meat and void of any bruises or scars. She patted her body, finding that instead of being skin and bones, she was actually healthy. Looking around, with a more innocent curiosity, she began to walk around the black void, looking around for something else to discover. Her stomach began to growl, making her stop in her tracks and look down at her stomach. With a pouty face, she looked up only to find a small table with a plate of cinnamon rolls deliciously displayed right in front of her. She immediately reached for them, stuffing the warm and sweet dessert in her mouth. Once finishing, she looked back around, finding that the table and plate were no longer there, making Jade feel lonely all over a sudden.

She continued to venture out into nothingness, growing more and more tired as time went on, and more and more lonely. Her walk continued on for what felt like hours, finding nothing, and starting to feel a growing numbness inside. The warmness and sweet scent no longer comforted her, and her mind began to question the things around her. She didn't know where she was, what had happened to her, and how to get out. Things slowly started to escape her mind, and after a while, she suddenly forgot what her name was.

A sudden and small light appeared not too far off from her, but being oddly uninterested, she didn't quicken her steps, approaching it with disinterest until she realized a boy sat in the light, facing away from her. She approached him with more curiosity, wondering who it was until she saw the mess of black hair on the back of his head. Her lost memories began to flood back into her head, and the boy in front of her she recognized to be her deceased brother.

"M-Mason?" her voiced cracked, eyes beginning to water as she stumbled her way in front of her brother, collapsing in front of him and looking up to find a face that didn't belong to her brother. She sat fear-stricken at what her brother had become, two gaping and endless black holes replaced his eyes, and a single one stood in place of his mouth, giving her an ominous and saddened feeling.

"M-M-Ma-s-son?" his hand reached up to touch her face, gently caressing her cheek before hugging her, placing her head on his bony shoulders as he consoled her. She broke into tears, sobbing into his shoulder and clutching onto his small body.

"Don't cry, Jade." She sat up, looking into his face to find that it had returned to its original look, his sad, blue eyes looking into hers. He gave her a small smile, stroking her face one more time, "Don't be sad anymore, Papa's gone."

"I want to stay with you..." he shook his head sadly, holding tightly onto her hand as if desperate to remain in contact with her.

"No... it's not your time yet."

"But I don't want to go back!" she whined, more tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"No. No- you can't. You have to stay behind. For me and mommy - "

"But I can't!"

"Yes, yes you must." She shook her head desperately, sobbing uncontrollably and clutching onto his shirt, shaking him weakly. "You have to go back."

"N-no..."

"Yes... yes you will..." 

All went black again, and Jade opened her eyes to find that she was once again alone in the black abyss, still not as warm and welcoming as it had once been.

She walked again, finding nothing this time among the vast void and still feeling the waves of sadness for seeing and leaving her brother again.

The same plate of cinnamon rolls appeared in front of her, but she passed it without giving it a look, kicking it savagely before completely walking away.

The walk this time didn't feel as long as before, and the same light as before appeared in front of her. But instead of her brother sitting amongst the light like she had expected, a short woman with short dark brown hair in a white dress stood facing away from her.

"M-mom?"


	7. Chapter 7

She turned around slowly, a graceful smile adorning her features as soon as she saw her daughter standing there.

"Jade, look at you. Beautiful just like your umma." Jade's face shifted to one of pure shock and confusion. She hasn't heard her mother's voice in years, and even when she was alive, she rarely spoke. "Well don't just stand there, come here to your umma." As soon as those words left her mothers mouth, she ran into her outstretched arms, immediately surrounded by her mother's warmth.

"Umma, please don't tell me I have to go back." she tightened her grip on her mother, desperate to hear that she didn't have to return to that hell, but the sad sigh coming from her mother crumbled that hope.

"I'm so sorry, Jade. You must go back - "

"No!" Jade began to sob, tears running down her cheeks like a waterfall as her mother carefully placed her hands on her cheeks, wiping away the continuously running tears as a few escaped her own eyes.

"Don't cry, baby. It will get better soon, I promise." Jade continued to sob in her mother's shoulder, repeatedly begging to stay with her and Mason.

"You have to go soon." Jade's crying immediately ceased, eyes wide with fear as she looked at her mother in fear.

"N-no, no please don't send me back there." Tears streamed down her mother's cheeks, leaving a long kiss on her forehead with her hands firmly holding onto Jade's cheeks.

"You'll see me again before you know it, OK?"

The scene immediately went black again, and Jade found herself alone in the black abyss.

After who knows how long, Jade stood up and began to walk around again. The impending feeling of numbness spread all over her body and mind again, the feeling of time or bodily needs escaping her mentality completely as she continued to walk mindlessly into the blank space.

The first time she came across the blinding light, she almost ran to it, having a feeling she knew what it meant until she was violently shoved backward. She wobbly stood up, looking at shock at the light as she slowly approached again. Once she made it within a 6-inch radius she was thrown back again, this time more roughly as she landed painfully on her arm. Scowling angrily, a determined light blazed in her eyes. She didn't care that her mother said to stay, she refused to submit herself back to the pain she had been facing all her life.

Jade had been thrown back she doesn't know how many times, bruises began to form all over her body from the harsh contacts and it became more physically tiring to get up.

With heavy pants, she stood up again, her eyesight extremely hazy as she stumbled back over to the light. It sent her back again, this time the roughest it had ever been, sending her flying back to hit her head directly on the ground. Black spots invaded her eyesight as her body throbbed in pain.

"It's not your time, Jade." her vision went completely black.

***

The loud sound of rushing nurses and doctors along with the beeping of medical equipment was all that could be heard coming out of Jade's hospital room. Daniel was instructed to stay out as they tried to revive her and settled with looking in from the side window with a wildly thumping heart as the nurses continued to hastily work.

After a particularly hard struggle, they all calmed down, congratulating each other as they were finally able to get Jade back into a stable condition.

They evacuated the room of their equipment, each covered in their own layer of sweat with red faces.

"You can head in if you want, just try not to touch her too much, OK?" the nurse he grabbed earlier told him, a tired smile on her face as she patted his shoulder. He nodded, walking into the room as soon as she walked out and making his way over to Jade's unconscious body. Sighing heavily he sat down, placing his head in his hands tiredly.

***

He woke up with a start, confused as to where he was as he examined the space around him only to realize he was still in the hospital sitting next to Jade. He sighed, still tired from his nap as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Multiple miscalls from his brothers were left, as well as texts that asked where he was and when he was coming home.

>ill be home soon, dont freak out

He proceeded to send the text to his younger brother, shoving his phone back in his pocket and standing up. Sighing, he started to walk out of the hospital room, stopping when the sight of movement in the corner of his eye caught him off guard. Turning slowly, he spotted Jade's fingers twitching at her side, becoming gradually more and more dramatic as the seconds passed by.

"Shit!" he ran over to her bedside, placing his hands either side of her head as he looked down at her with wide eyes.

Whimpers of pain escaped her lips, small tears streaking down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"C'mon, Jade. Wake up." he placed a hand on her shoulder, ready to shake before her eyes shot open, wide with fear and confusion. "Jade? - Shit!" she immediately began to hyperventilate, looking at her surroundings with nothing but fear and confusion clouding her eyesight. Her heart was racing at a concerning rate, alarming Daniel even more as he tried his best to calm her down. "Jade, Jade calm down, you're ok - shit- Doctor!" he grabbed her hand with one of his larger ones, using the other to grab her jaw and firmly but cautiously turn her face towards him. "Hey - hey, look at me. Calm down, OK? Nobody is going to hurt you, we're only here to help you." they looked each other dead in the eye, Jade's watery and fearful eyes looking into Daniel's alluring green eyes. 

The hand on her jaw moved to her cheek, wiping away the tears that began to stain, the hand holding hers moving around her shoulders and pulling him into his warm chest. She tensed at the feeling of his body so close to hers, the warmth and calming feeling he emitted foreign to her. She jumped again as he rested his head on top of hers, bringing her in closer despite her obviously tense frame.

One of the doctors from earlier ran back in, looking in shock at the conscious girl in Daniel's arms.

"Oh, goodness."


	8. Chapter 8

School had ended and Jade was still in the hospital, still conscious, but her health was complete shit. She was still unnaturally thin and pale, quietly refusing any food or water they tried to offer her as she quietly sat alone most days in her hospital room. She didn't bother to turn on the TV, she was too scared to, still having the fear that her father would come down and beat her for wasting the electricity bill. So, without TV, food, or really anything, she slowly started to go insane. The buzzing in her ears driving her mad as she quietly sat alone. A few days after she had woken up, the doctor gave her a sheet asking whether she wanted visitors coming in or not. She didn't think this would be an issue, the thought of anyone coming over to spend time with her was completely mind-boggling. But after hearing from the doctors and nurses that Daniel would constantly come in to check on her throughout her time in the coma, and waking up to finding him looking down at her, she immediately wrote "no" on the paper. If it had anything to do with her, she thought, his intentions would be anything but caring.

So, as she had done her entire life, she isolated herself. Refusing to talk, eat, drink, or react to anything the doctors and nurses came in with as the days and weeks passed by. But, apparently, when news uncovered of two dead bodies found in her backyard and her father currently working to be charged with two accounts of murder, child abuse, and child neglect got out to the media, it seemed as though everyone at that moment wanted to "care" for her, acting as though the signs weren't there for years.

"Hi, Jade." A nurse walked in, speaking quietly and slowly to the girl that lay motionless in her bed, staring off at nothing in particular. "Some more of your peers and teachers are here to see you, are you sure you don't want to see them?" Jade did nothing in response, barely blinking as the nurse frowned at the sight. She walked out, heading to the main doctor that stood to talk to the receptionist about another patient.

"Doctor, may I speak with you for a moment?" The doctor looked up from the receptionist, pausing in her sentence before uttering a simple "sure", and stepping to the side.

"Doctor Cleefe, I know the patient requested for no visitors, but I really think this girl needs some social interaction. If we continue letting her isolate herself like that the mental damage she has already taken will be irreversible; she'll be an empty shell for the rest of her life. So please, can we just try and let a couple of visitors in, it may encourage her to eat." Doctor Cleefe looked at her fellow peer with a blank frown, processing her words as she sighed to herself. The nurse brought up a really good point, the girl was already mentally dead enough as it is, but she did request for no visitors..."Fine, allow some visitors. Two at the most, and be very choosy with who you let in there, and stay by the door." She sighed again, this time annoyed. "That entire school is whack for ignoring this girl for ten years."

The nurse nodded, relieved that Jade might get some social interaction today as she headed over to the waiting room. About ten people were there for Jade, each with their own "get-well-soon" and "my condolences" cards and balloons. Some of the kids looked as though their mother got all this together and forced them here while some looked genuinely sad and concerned. A tall and slim blonde was amongst them, her hair tied up in a tight high ponytail and dressed in high-end clothing. 

"I... guess she's okay..."

She began looking at everyone else before selecting a sort of emo looking girl who looked as though she wanted to burst into tears at any moment.

"Hi, I'm nurse Emma. You can follow me to go and see the patient." She turned to the others, "I'm sorry but she can only have a maximum of two visitors for today." They groaned, again some genuinely disappointed they weren't able to see Jade while others were annoyed they just wasted their time. After sending them off, she turned to the two girls.

"You two can follow me. Please remember to be very quiet and gentle with her, she's been through a lot and doesn't seem to be in the right mental state. She's really not supposed to be having any guests, but we think her lack of social interaction will only do her worse as time goes on. So please, don't make us regret our decision." She led them to Jade's hospital room, stopping outside for a second and giving them a second glance before slowly opening the door.

"Jade, sweetie?" She opened the door fully, allowing the two girls in. "You have some people who wanted to see you." She quietly closed the door, standing in front of it and watching to make sure nothing went wrong as the two girls approached her.

"Oh my God, you look terrible. Are you okay? God, if I knew your face would be this pale and the bags under your eyes would be this dark I would have brought makeup for you." The blonde girl shook her head at her own "silly mistake" as she sat down dangerously close to Jade, the other two looking at her in horror. "So tell me, how's the food here. If it's bad, I can file a complaint and get them to improve the food quality if you want." She firmly placed her hand on Jade's squeezing in what was supposed to be a comforting touch.

"I-I don't think you should be touching her..." The other girl was right, Jade's heart was speeding up dangerously, scared to death at the new and sudden interaction with the girl, hit with a wave of PTSD when her father yelled and grabbed her: basically the only way he talked to her. This blonde's loud voice wasn't helping.

"Shut up, freak. Nobody was asking you." 

"Excuse me, miss. You do not talk to anyone like that." The nurse was too flabbergasted and angry with the blonde to realize that Jade was undergoing a panic attack.

The other girl, on the other hand, noticed immediately.

"U-uhm, miss?" The nurse was still lecturing the other, still not paying attention. "Miss!" She turned, surprised as she saw the girl pointing at Jade. Her eyes were big and scared but didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular, almost as if she was seeing something else. Tears streamed down her red cheeks as she shook in fear, only small, quiet whimpers escaping her parted lips. Her breathing was lacking and uneven as her heart rate increased dangerously, frightening the nurse immediately as she called for other doctors and nurses.

"You two need to leave." She hastily shoved them both out, running back to Jade and trying to stabilize her. "Jade. Jade, sweetie it's okay. You're safe, no one is going to hurt you." Despite the fear growing in her chest, she spoke to her relatively calmly, softly placing a hand on her shoulder and the other on top of Jade's shaking one.

Despite this, Jade wasn't calming down, almost as if she couldn't sense the nurse was there next to her. Biting her lip, the nurse rushed out, calling for the doctor before running back into her side.

"What happened?" Doctor Cleefe walked in with a syringe full of sleeping medication.

"The visit sent her into a panic attack, and she isn't responding to my presence." The Doctor carefully inserted the syringe, injecting all of the liquid into Jade's system as she slowly calmed down over time, soon falling into a deep sleep as the two sighed.

"I don't know what else to do with this girl. I think we need to send her to a mental facility immediately and get her the mental treatment she needs. There's nothing else we can do here to benefit her." The nurse bit her lip, nodding in agreement before looking down to the unconscious girl. She knew that even though she had evaded death or more plausible abuse, her life would never be normal. She would constantly suffer the consequences of her father's actions and would be treated as such by everyone in their own pity and self-righteousness. In all, her future wouldn't be as bright as it should have been. "I need to call that boy, Daniel. He may not be too ecstatic in hearing about her panic attack, but he should still be informed; he seems to be the only one to truly care." 

Nurse Emma nodded, "I'll do it. He'll probably want to know everything that happened."

Doctor Cleefe gratefully placed her hand on her shoulder, "thank you." She turned and walked out, leaving the nurse with Jade in the hospital room.

Sighing, Nurse Emma placed her hand on top of Jade's. 

"You didn't deserve any of this."

**

Daniel locked himself up in his room doing his homework, feeling miserable ever since he was told Jade refused any visitors and couldn't go back to see her. Of course, he demanded updates on her recovery, getting a mix of both positivity and negativity. As of more being more negative in terms of her mental state. So when he received another call from the hospital, he wasn't surprised.

"Hello?"

"Yes, hi. Daniel? This is Nurse Emma." Her voice sounded tired, a bad sign. "I have another update for you, it's not necessarily good news."

Daniel sighed, "Lay it on me."

"We decided to see how she would react with visitors today, so we sent in two of her fellow peers to say hi. One thing led to another... Jade had a severe panic attack today, and we're thinking of transferring her to the mental ward in a couple of days before sending her to the foster care system."

Daniel sighed again, more tired and defeated than the first.

"She'll have to go through the foster care system?" Daniel wasn't stupid to not know that system was shitty 95% of the time. 

"Yes, there are no records here of any other family she might have, and you're not of legal age to foster her yourself. Unless your guardian is up to taking responsibility?" 

His aunt and uncle had gone through enough having to take him and his brother in at such a young age, and they were too busy, so taking Jade in where she would face neglect from another set of parents might not be smart.

"No, I don't think they can."

"O-oh. Yeah, okay. Well," she sighed. "We may transfer her over tomorrow. If you'd like to visit her, there are visiting hours on Tuesday from 10 to 8. Just don't be like this idiot today and be loud and send her into another panic attack." Daniel chuckled darkly, feeling anything but happy at the thought of Jade's fears and pains. Surprisingly, this made him want to see her less. He was afraid of how she would react; in fear, and have another panic attack, in anger, for never actually doing anything to prevent the bullying, or what he feared most: to have no reaction whatsoever. That was practically his mother, never fearful, unless he and his brother were threatened, or angry, happy. She was just emotionless. And ultimately that emotionless bottled up the pain inside her until it burst, leading the woman who brought him into he world to take her own life. He vowed he would never let anybody else face that, and for the first couple of years knowing Jade, he failed in that. He didn't want the small progress she was making to get thrown back just because he wanted to visit.

Sighing, he thanked the nurse on the other line and hung up, staring at blank space before standing up from his bed. He walked downstairs just as his aunt walked through the front door, bags still visible under the makeup she wore and the formal businesswoman suit she wore looking wrinkled and worn out for the day.

"Oh, hi Daniel. How was school?" She tiredly placed her bag down, giving him a kiss on the cheek and heading straight for the fridge.

He shrugged, "It was school."

His aunt turned around, a bottle of iced tea in her hands as she looked at Daniel cautiously, as though afraid to know the answer. "How's the girl at the hospital? What was her name? Jackie, Jane -"

"It's Jade."

"Right, right, Jade..."

He sighed, looking down at his feet. "She woke up."

"Oh that's great news! So she'll be out soon?"

He nodded, "But they're sending her to a mental health facility before handing her over to the foster care system."

She paused. "A mental health facility?"

He nodded again, "She isn't showing signs of human interaction: she won't talk, eat, drink, sometimes even move." He sighed again. "So they tried giving her visitors today to try and encourage her to do something. She ended up just having a panic attack."

His aunt's eyes softened, "Oh, that poor girl." She shook her head, "Only if I could I would take her in myself, who knows what freak she'll be sent to in that system. But at the same time, I don't think having parents that are actually home 9 days out of the year is what she needs."

Daniel nodded again, an emotionless expression on his face as he refused to look his aunt in the eye. He wasn't mad at her, he was just disappointed. Like a little kid who got told they couldn't go play outside because it was pouring like shit, and they're miserable because staying cooped up inside all day is boring, but they get why they can't go.

Something like that, at least.

**

Nurse Emma was talking to the receptionist when a police officer walked in, a grim expression on his face as he tapped the woman's shoulder.

"Excuse me, may one of you guide me to Jade Howell's room? I have a couple of questions to ask her." She looked at him, scared for what the girl might have to face now before nodding her head and leading him to her room.

She softly knocked. "Jade?" Slowly opening the door, she let the officer in, standing by the door to ensure Jade wouldn't under another panic attack.

"Ms.Howell?" She didn't move. "I'm officer James, and unfortunately, I'm not here for any good news." He cleared his throat a bit, this part of the job never being fun. "The bodies of what we are assuming to be your brother and mother were found buried in your backyard, do you know anything about that?" The only reaction he got was Jade slightly lowering her head, taking that as a yes. "What is left of them will be cremated and personally gifted to you as soon as possible, within the next couple of weeks or so." Still no response. 

The officer sat quietly for a few seconds before clearing his throat "Don't be scared if another officer or I come in with any more questions." He stood up, "Have a good rest of your night." He nodded to the nurse, walking out as Emma took a few seconds to look at the girl on the bed. Frowning, she walked out, closing the door behind her and heading off to her other duties.

Jade didn't move for an hour or so. She knew her mother and brother were buried in the backyard. Shoot, she's the one that had to bury them. But having to hear that their dead, decaying bodies were to be dug up and cremated struck a painful chord in her heart.

She was truly alone. No family. Not even her father. What was she supposed to do now? Without her father there, she wouldn't be forced to go to school, and a job sounded horrendous. So then what? 

Slowly lying down, she continued to stare off into the space around her, whatever pathetic amount of hope she had in life slipping out of her like a waterfall. In her mind, this event in her life professed the end of it. There was nothing more to living, and no use in staying. 

With all the pessimism spurring up within her birthed a determination. A determination for her own death.

Daniel slung his backpack over his shoulder, just coming back from his work shift as a lifeguard and heading back to the hospital. It would be the first time since Jade had woken up a couple of weeks ago that he had been there, and hearing about her current state made him both curious and concerned. 

The hospital was the same as it was before unsurprisingly: bustling doctors and nurses, medical equipment, patients walking around either by themselves or with a family member or nurse, and even a couple of grievers.

Hitting the 6th button on the elevator, Daniel begun his ascent to Jade's room, only then starting to feel truly anxious about her reaction towards them. He wasn't exactly friendly or helpful while they were in school together. Finally reaching a couple of minutes later, he nodded and awkwardly smiled to the receptionist, who had gotten used to his visits and smiled in return, and made his way to where he knew where her room was.

But before his knuckles could hit the door, Jade's nurse caught his attention.

"Oh! Daniel! You're here!" Turning his head to the slightly panting woman, a half-assed smile curved on his lips. "Jade just woke up, and it's almost time for us to try and feed her again. Maybe you can help this time?"

Daniel frowned. "She still isn't eating?"

Emma sighed, "She still isn't doing much of anything, I'm afraid." She looked at the door beside them with a saddened expression. "I don't think that girl ever will be, to be honest, she's too damaged. Her life will never be easy or normal, and who knows what decisions that can lead her to." Daniel frowned at that. It was fucking depressing. But it was true. No matter how much she might work to forget about it, her past will always be biting her in the ass.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: aghsgsh late, I know. Sorry

 

 

Daniel opened the door for Emma, allowing her to walk in with the tray of food in her hands easily and following in suite.

"Hi, Jade."

Her room was different now, bigger, but split into two for another patient who seemed to be asleep. 

"I brought you some apple sauce, do you like apple sauce?" Daniel's eyes finally landed on Jade, who's skin was a pale, almost grey, shade with dark eye bags. Her hair was also strewn in different places, it looked more like a pile of dead grass than hair, her arms were concerning with how thin they were, her sunken-in face also revealing how skinny she was. But the most depressing thing was her eyes. They were dull and glazed over, not seeming to be looking at anything in particular, and looked extremely lost and hopeless. 

Emma placed the tray on the small table beside her bed, sitting next to her in the small space left on the hospital bed and attempting to fluff her pillow. 

"Aren't you uncomfortable, Jade? You've been in this position all day." She attempted to joke, but it just made it all the more depressing. 

"And I'm sorry to say, sweetie. But you look like a mess." She let out a fake laugh, "I guess we should have cleaned you up before having guest over, right?" With all of this, Jade didn't respond. She barely even blinked. 

Daniel unconsciously frowned, starting to question himself on whether he should have let her die in that old house or not.

What the hell is wrong with you, Daniel. Of course you did the right thing by saving her.

But with the way she was looking now, she already is on the pathway to dying. It's too late for her now.

It's not too late! What the actual fuck is wrong with you?! Would you rather let her die in that damaged home, her father running free with a third murder on his hands as her body rots next to her brother and mother?!

Daniel's frown deepened. At least she would be with her dead family.

"Come on, Jade. Open your mouth for me, please? At least eat this apple sauce today. You'll feel better!" Jade didn't budge, still staring off into the plain white wall in front of her.

Emma's fake smile fell, and a similar frown fell on her features. She turned to the side, almost as though she refused to look at Jade anymore before standing up and placing the opened but full cup of apple sauce back on the stand.

"I-I've got to go tend to the other patients..." she stood their awkwardly before practically running out of the room, closing the door shut behind her.

Daniel stared at the door for a few seconds, contemplating if it was his time to leave, too. His time to give up on the girl.

Don't leave her. She has no one. Be someone for her.

Daniel turned his eyes back to the girl, sighing at the pitiful sight before pulling up a chair next to her. He picked up the cup of apple sauce, examining it before scoffing.

"It isn't even the good apple sauce." He placed it back on the nightstand, "At least you're not missing out on anything." 

As usual, he received no response. So, he took the time to actually examine her. Despite going to school with her for years, he'd never actually seen her face. It was always hidden behind her hair, a hoodie, or covered in bruises; so this was the first time he actually saw what she looked like. She was actually kind of cute, minus the depressing expression: a small rounded face with a small button nose that was slightly crooked -- no doubt due to the countless beatings she'd received -- and cute light green doe eyes. Daniel's eyes furrowed, was her mother Asian? After seeing her mess of a father, he knew none of these delicate features besides the green eyes were from him. She definitely looked asian, Korean maybe?

Who knew if he'd ever figure that out.

"I don't know if you're listening or not, but I'm going to talk anyways." He leaned back in his seat, making himself more comfortable before sighing. "I'm not going to lie, I kind of forgot about your brother. You two were always so hidden, so isolated, that when he stopped showing up to school I didn't even notice." His eyebrows furrowed. "How long ago was that? You're a year younger than me... fuck, I still don't remember." He sat and pondered for a second. "Hunter didn't start harassing you until your freshman year. Your brother wasn't there then. But I vaguely remember seeing you two together when I was in 8th grade... so he either died later that year or in my freshman year, I guess..." he really hated how casual he sounded about this. "I guess your father won in that, right? Nobody knows who your mother is, everybody forgot about your brother, and if I hadn't seen him throw you in that car then that would have been you... Three easy homicides..." It was quiet again. "I can almost bet he wasn't the one to bury them either, right? He made you two bury your mother, and made you bury your brother. Giving you one reminder that your loved one is dead." He frowned before laughing almost angrily to himself. "Why the fuck am I even talking to you about this? Like this will make you feel any better." He scoffed, letting the room drown in silence again. 

A small dot of light in the corner of his eye caused him to look back to Jade's face. The light seeping in the window bounced off the tear beginning to descend her cheek, leaving a trail of wet tears in its stead as no noise escaped her lips.

Though she was crying, it was a reaction. So he continued talking. 

"My mother committed suicide when I was younger. My father abused her horribly, leaving her in a broken state, until one day she slit her wrist in the guest bathroom. 

"I was the one to find her, too. My father had just left for work after beating the shit out of her -- he was a successful crook of a businessman -- so she took that opportunity to take her life.

"I don't remember much about her, she was very quiet and never smiled. Always frowning or with a blank expression. She also showed a lot of fear whenever my father threatened to hurt me or my little brother too, and though she never spoke, she always made the point that neither me or my brother would be touched. I guess that's why I never doubted if she loved me or not, because I know she did, the pain just became too overwhelming. In the end, it also helped me and my brother. My father was arrested for domestic abuse and assisted suicide, and my brother and I were sent to live with my aunt and uncle the next county over. That's when I came here." He closed his eyes at the painful memory. That was the first time he ever told anyone that, the first time he ever opened up about his past. It felt relieving.

"I've always held against my father the fact that I never knew my mother, that I didn't ever get to see her be herself or see her smile. I guess I have that to hold against your father to, don't I? Two cruel men that took the innocent lives of their own family. I pray they both burn in hell once they die in prison as miserable old men."

Jade closed her eyes and sniffed.

Daniel made a tired smile, "so you agree?" He nodded, mostly to himself as he picked up the apple sauce again, taking a spoonful. "Good to know." He took a bite.

"Y'know, it's actually not that bad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: hi dudes, hoped you liked the chapter. It's kind of short, but I wanted to start building their friendship as well as remind you of Daniel's past of you forgot.
> 
> And don't worry, this story STAYS SAD 😊😊😀


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